Disney Springs will soon be home to another virtual reality attraction with the opening of a “Wreck-It Ralph”-themed experience later this fall.
The “hyper-reality” attraction, as Disney calls it, will be named Ralph Breaks VR and be based on the upcoming Disney film “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” the second film to feature Ralph and his video game world.
Ralphs Breaks VR is being built as a collaboration between Disney, ILMxLAB — the immersive entertainment division at Lucasfilm — and The VOID, the same partnership involved in the Star Wars: Secret of the Empire VR experience already operating at Disney Springs and at the Disneyland Resort’s Downtown Disney.
“Our filmmakers and the terrific people at ILMxLAB have collaborated to bring an incredible hyper-real experience, for all ages, to The VOID,” said “Ralph Breaks the Internet” producer Clark Spencer on the Disney Parks Blog. “We can’t wait for people to be immersed in the worlds of the internet and online gaming with Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope.”
An official launch date has not been announced. The film opens on November 21.
Ralph Breaks VR would be just one of several VR experiences based around Disney properties, according to a report from Fast Company. The next would be based around an unspecified Marvel movie to premiere in 2019, with three more VR experiences to follow.
Whether the Marvel VR experience could come to Disney Springs depends on what characters are used. Use of Marvel characters in Disney World is still restricted by the licensing agreement Marvel signed with Universal in 1994, paving the way for the construction of Marvel Super Hero Island at Islands of Adventure. Despite Disney’s purchase of Marvel in 2009, Universal can maintain the theme park rights to the Marvel characters in perpetuity east of the Mississippi River.
Characters who aren’t featured in Marvel Super Hero Island, however, can be used in Disney World, which is why construction is underway on a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction in Epcot.